1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for regenerative and friction braking of a motor vehicle having an electric drive motor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a braking system using wheel slip data to control the rear wheel braking in proportion to the front wheel braking.
2. Disclosure Information
The general principle of regenerative braking has been recognized by manufacturers of electric vehicles as a way of increasing the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Regenerative braking seeks to recover as much of the kinetic energy of the vehicle which is normally dissipated as heat through a normal hydraulic friction system by operating the electric motor drive even as a generator and restoring the generated electricity to a battery or other energy storage device. Various methods have been proposed for accomplishing regenerative braking in such electric vehicles, however, these regenerative systems generally require additional hardware above and beyond that normally associated with a hydraulic braking system.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a regenerative and friction braking system capable of recovering the kinetic energy normally lost through heat generation and dissipation resulting from the use of conventional hydraulic brake systems.